It’s that time of year. We’re keen to review what’s happened – what’s worked and what hasn’t, but we also want to set some goals for the new year to improve your performance and get the results you need.
I’m a big fan of planning, it helps clarify your thinking, finely hone those ambitions and of course anticipate and avoid any problems, whilst taking advantage of some great opportunities. But planning isn’t just about your business, it’s also relevant to your home and personal life too.
Get proactive
Let’s face it, life is uncertain. There will always be unexpected bumps long the way. The last 18 months have thrown all our best laid plans, including holidays, weekends away, work and of course meeting up with friends and family, into complete disarray. As a result, we have found ourselves completely unprepared, on the backfoot really, as we struggled to come to terms with the many restrictions and of course tried to adjust to the new normal. Instead of being proactive, we sort of just existed. Put everything on hold and waited out the storm.
For the last two years, we’ve stopped making plans, preferring instead to just be knocked from pillar to post like the balls in a pinball machine. But even with scientists predicting that there is likely to be more powerful and even more deadly variants of Covid 19 in the future, we need to try to live with the situation and relearn how to make plans so we can live our best lives, no matter what.
Change your mindset
To do this we need to get a different mindset. Stop dreaming and start to make everything a reality. And instead of producing lots of excuses you just need to make a start. Life planning isn’t about sticking to a rigid to do list, it’s about creating a flexible action plan with room for growth and change that will get you from where you are now to where you want to be. So, whether you want to change your job, move house, think about scaling things down, or start a new project, it’s essential you prepare for it to increase the chances of success and of course ensure you’re using your time wisely.
Top planning tips
My tops tips are simple:
- Decide your priorities – career, relationships, health and wellbeing, work/life balance, finances, community etc.
- Set some goals/ambitions which are linked to who you are, what you want and what you want to do to achieve them.
- Create accountable life plans that factor in growth, change and crisis so they are resilient but achievable no matter what happens.
- Factor in some help. Call upon a friend, partner, business colleague or coach to help you to stay on plan and evaluate your success.
- Measure your progress. Take time along the way to check and see how you are doing. Remember setback are inevitable, just don’t get too hung up on them.
- Celebrate your successes. Don’t just wait until you accomplish large goals, reward yourself on the small shifts too, that way you’ll increase your enjoyment of the process and, in turn, your chances of success.
- Evaluate and make changes. There may be lots of reasons why some areas of your plan might not work. The key is to identify what when wrong and why and then make any adjustments necessary.
For help, advice and support when it comes to planning, get in touch. I can help you to create a plan that means you can achieve meaningful goals that align perfectly with priorities and your ultimate purpose in life.
